


Foolish Games

by teacupsandtime



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Abigail was killed by Garret Jacob Hobbs, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Language, Hannibal doesn't like to share, Implied Relationships, M/M, Murder Husbands, Non-Linear Narrative, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Outsider, Rating May Change, loudly implied cannibalism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-05 01:23:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17315435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teacupsandtime/pseuds/teacupsandtime
Summary: Hannibal and Will during their courtship and life as murder husbands all from the perspective of outsiders.





	1. Cecelia. Baltimore, Maryland

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to my good friend, A.  
> Thank you for letting me constantly bounce ideas off of you and for finding all my dumb mistakes ❤️

The unfamiliar sound of the doorbell momentarily bewildered her as she rose off her knees, leaving the books unpacked in the large, brown box. Slapping her hands together to remove the feel of the cardboard, Cecelia flattened one hand against the front door and lined her right eye up with the peephole. 

Beyond the small, round lens was a very well dressed man holding a basket in his arms. 

Pulling away, she squinted her eyes slightly in confusion before she unlocked the door and opened it. 

“Hello,” the man said. 

“Hi,” she answered. “May I help you?”

He smiled.

“Please forgive the intrusion,” he said.“My name is Hannibal Lecter. I am your neighbor to the left.”

He motioned slightly to the house with his head. 

“I wanted to welcome you.” 

Cecelia laughed, genuinely surprised. 

“Oh wow,” she said. “Um, thank you. Thank you so much, that’s very kind. I always thought neighbors bearing gift baskets were a thing of suburban legend.” 

“A true tragedy,” Hannibal said with a grin as he extended the basket to her.

Cecelia took it and looked over its contents; there was a bottle of wine, several small, hand sealed packages of dried meat, elegantly wrapped cheeses and a box of dried figs.

“This was so kind of you,” she reiterated. “My name is Cecelia. Please, will you come in?”

“No, I don’t wish to bother you further. I’m sure you’ve plenty to do.”

“Oh no, please,” she repeated. “I just got my coffee maker all unpacked and I need an excuse to see if I broke it in the move.” 

Thanking her, Hannibal moved into the house as she held the door open. Cecelia took note of the dark blue plaid of the suit he wore and the light pink pop of the pocket square at his breast. He stood just beyond her front door, his hair perfectly parted and free of even a single wayward strand, looking ridiculously out of place amid her piles of boxes and covered furniture. 

“Kitchen is just through here,” she said as she closed the door.

Hannibal waited as she adjusted the basket in her arms and walked toward the back of the house. Dropping the gift on the counter she reached behind her coffee pot and flipped it on, sighing in relief when a blue light clicked on. 

“I have this really great roast from Boston,” she said as she reached for the small bag of beans and poured them into the grinder on the back of the pot. “It’s going to be a dark day when I run out.”

“Is that where you hail from?”

“Yup,” she said, taking two mugs down from the cabinet. “Born and bred. How about you? Please - ”

She motioned to one of the chairs at her kitchen table. 

“Oh, I am from a great many places,” Hannibal said as he unbuttoned his jacket and took a seat, crossing one leg over the other. “I was born in Lithuania and have lived in Paris, Florence, Kyoto, but Baltimore has been my home for many years now.”

“Oh really,” she said with a raised eyebrow as the smell of coffee filled the room. “Do you like it here? Compared with other places you’ve lived?”

“Each place I’ve called home holds a piece of my heart,” he answered. “Baltimore is no exception. It is, after all, a charming city.”

She smiled.

“I hope so,” Cecelia said. “I love Boston, but I was offered an amazing opportunity to teach at the University here and I just couldn’t pass it up.”

Hannibal cocked his head. 

“You’re a professor?” he asked as she nodded in the affirmative. 

“Just barely. I finished my doctorate last May.”

“What field did you study?”

“Sociology.” 

“Wonderful,” he said. “I am a psychiatrist myself, but I have a great interest in the social sciences.” 

“That’s good,” she said as she grabbed the coffee pot. “We need all the love we can get - us ‘soft sciences’. Do you take cream or sugar?”

“None, thank you.” 

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Cecelia said as she poured. “This blend is too good to ruin it with anything.” 

Filling both mugs, she placed one in front of him and came to sit in the chair across from him. She leaned in, resting her elbows on the table as she crossed her ankles under the chair. 

Hannibal was a handsome man. 

A very handsome man. 

Warm, brown eyes shaped like almonds. A soft, wide mouth and incredibly high cheekbones. With his unmoving, graying hair and fine suit he seemed suddenly untouchable to Cecelia.

Otherworldly.

She found herself looking away from his gaze.

“So what’s this neighborhood like?” she asked. “I would have liked to have done more research before I signed the paperwork but I was in such a hurry to find somewhere here and when I stumbled on this place the price seemed to good to be true.”

Hannibal brought his mug to his nose, inhaling the aroma of the coffee before he took a small sip.

“It’s very quiet,” he said. “Uneventful, even. Rather ideal for professionals.”

He paused. 

“Or retirees.”

“Ha, sounds good to me,” she laughed. “I loved my place in Boston but quiet it was not.”

“I’m sure you will be a welcome addition,” Hannibal added. “Mr. Jacobson was an interesting man.”

“Oh? The guy who last lived here? I actually couldn’t find out too much about him.”

Hannibal took another sip of his coffee. 

“Not much to tell,” he said. “He mostly kept to himself, didn’t care much for visitors. Then suddenly, he was gone. Moved out of the country and put the house up on the market. I theorize that it would actually have sold much faster than it did had he not had the grand white oak tree on the side yard removed.” 

Cecelia looked to Hannibal’s right as if she could see through walls. 

“It was a spectacular, beautiful tree,” he continued. “I implored him not to have it removed when I saw a maintenance service taking measurements of it one day, especially as a substantial portion of the root structure was on my property. But alas, I could not change his mind.”

“Oh that’s terrible,” she said. “I love big, old trees. I find myself missing them when I’m in a city.” 

“I agree,” Hannibal said. “I have planted a black cherry tree where it once stood. It’s in its infancy now but I’m hoping that the particular fertilizer I’ve procured will help it to thrive and bear delicious fruit.” 

Cecelia pulled her mug away from her lips as the phone in her back pocket vibrated. Reaching for it, she came to her feet. 

“I’m so sorry, would you excuse me for just a moment?”

Hannibal stood as she did.

“Of course.”

Walking toward the other room, she slid her thumb across the screen and held the phone to her ear.

“Hey!”

“Hey yourself. How are you?”

“Good, good. Tired. But good. I got most of the furniture where I wanted to today so now it’s just an endless repetition of taking shit out of boxes and putting shit on shelves.”

“Ha! You could always just wait until next week so I can help.” 

“I’d never last. You’re sweet though.” 

“I can’t wait to see you.” 

“I know. Me too. Listen, I’ve actually got someone here right now. Can I call you back later tonight?”

“Damn, Cee you’ve moved on already?”

“Yeah, yeah. No, one of my neighbors came by with a welcome basket.”  
  
“A welcome basket? Did you move to Baltimore or Mayfield?”

“You’re hilarious. Call you later?”

“Sure. Love you.”

“You too.”

Cecelia ended the call as she walked back into the kitchen, finding that Hannibal was still on his feet.

“Sorry about that,” she said. 

“Nonsense,” he answered. “I should leave you in peace anyway.”

“Oh, no, please,” she said. “No need to rush.”

Hannibal buttoned his suit jacket. 

“I insist,” he said. “The coffee was delicious and it was lovely to make your acquaintance.” 

“Oh, sure,” she said as she slowly walked towards the front door. “I mean, you too. Thank you again for the basket.”

“My pleasure.” 

Unlocking the door, she held it open for him. 

“You’ll find a collection of some of my favorites cheeses inside as well as a wine to pair with them. There are also some meats I prepared and dried myself.”

“You’re too kind,” she said as he walked out of her home and into the sunlight. “Really, thank you so much.”

“It was no trouble,” he said. “Have a wonderful evening Dr. - ”

She laughed. 

“Brooks.”

“Have a wonderful evening, Dr. Brooks.”

**

Kicking the empty box to the side, Cecelia crawled into bed more tired than she could ever recall being. Reaching down, she grabbed her phone from where she’d left it charging on the floor and unlocked it, the light casting her shadow up on the bare wall behind her.

_Hey. I’m sorry I never called but I’m wiped. Chat tomorrow?_

After only a moment, she saw the ellipsis of a response being composed.

_No problem. You’d rather hang out with your new neighbors than me ;)_

She smiled. 

_One new neighbor and no, he was kinda weird._

_Weird? How so?_

_Hard to explain. He was super nice just really idk - stiff I guess._

She speedily typed a follow up before his response could come through. 

_Please don't make a dick joke._

The ellipsis disappeared and then came back. 

_LOL you know me too well._

_And yet I still love you. I’m about to pass out. See you soon!_

_Sleep well!_

_**_

Days turned into weeks and those into months as Cecelia settled into her life in Baltimore. Monday through Friday she drove to the University often returning home around 6:30 in the evening. Hannibal’s dark green Bentley was often parked in his driveway when she pulled up to her house.

Most nights, she would sit at her desk on the second floor looking over papers and exams and cast blank stares in the direction of Hannibal’s house, sometimes catching a glimpse of him as he moved from room to room. 

Around the end of the semester, she noticed Hannibal’s car would be gone for days at a time - normally over the weekends. 

One evening - a few days into Christmas break she was pouring herself a glass of wine when a sudden flood of red light caught her eye. Taking a sip from her glass, she walked to the main window of her living room as the taillights of the station wagon went dark. The driver’s side door opened and Cecelia watched a slender man with dark hair climb out and shut the door behind him. He pulled his jacket tight around his body as he hurried to Hannibal’s front door.

Hannibal answered in a cream colored three piece suit (did he ever wear anything else?) and ushered the man inside with a smile before closing the door.

***

“What’s that?”

Her eyebrows narrowed in confusion, Cecelia carefully opened the fine envelope as she walked into the living room. 

“I have no clue,” she said. “It was the only thing in the mail today.”

Caleb watched her open it, carefully pulling out the thick folded paper and opening it in her hands. Her shoulders dropped as she read it. 

“God, no way.”

“What?’

She took a seat next to him on the couch and passed the invitation along.

“‘Dr. Cecelia Brooks, Dr. Hannibal Lecter requests the pleasure of your company’ - oh shit, is this the neighbor?”

“Yes,” she groaned. “I’m not going.” 

“Oh yes you are,” he laughed. “You have to!”

“Cal, I can’t,” she said. “I’ve seen the type of people that man entertains and trust me when I say I’ll go out of my mind.”

“I thought you said he was nice.”

“He is,” she said. “I also said he was stiff and weird. Because he is. He just . . . I don’t know, when you talk to him it’s like you can’t get away from him. He just commands whatever room he’s in. It’s kind of creepy, actually.” 

“Wait, are you scared of him?”

She curled her feet up under herself on the couch. 

“No, it’s not that,” she said. “It’s just hard to explain.”

“What if I went with you?”

“Does it say ‘plus one'?”

He scanned the invitation again.

“It does not.”   
  
“Then no way,” she said. “The man seems very hung up on law and order. I’m not about to upset that applecart.”

Laughing, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him.

“I wish you’d move here,” she said gently. 

His chest rose with his deep intake of air. 

“I know, Cee,” he answered softly. 

“You know I bet if we got married before - wait, when is his little soirée?”

“This Saturday” 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” she said. “We’ll throw a quick wedding together, invite him, and then surely it would be fine for me to bring my husband along.”

He smiled into her hair and kissed the crown of her head; the tiny, velvet box in his pocket seemed to catch fire.

***

“Dr. Brooks,” Hannibal said as he opened the door. “How good of you to come. Please.” 

Stepping into his home, Cecelia clutched the bottle of wine in her hand like a shield. The air smelled like garlic, sesame oil, and meat. 

“Your home is lovely,” she said as she looked around, feeling as though she was at an art exhibit rather than a private residence. “Thank you for having me.”   
  
She extended the bottle to Hannibal who took it with an appreciative smile.

“You’re too kind, Dr. Brooks.”  
  
“Cecelia,” she said. “Please, you can call me Cecelia.”

He guided her through the first floor of his home, introducing her to most everyone along the way before he excused himself to attend to something in his kitchen. Cecelia released a breath she didn’t know she had been holding and made her way to the bar. She had a glass of red wine. Then another. And another.

Waiters came around with elaborate appetizers and she tasted each one while moving from group to group, trying to blend in while simultaneously not engaging with anyone. However, when she finished her third glass of wine Cecelia quickly realized that she would need to actively speak to someone if she wanted to avoid disaster. 

She scanned the the room and for the first time since she had arrived saw no waitstaff. Everywhere were groups of people who were also engaged in boisterous conversation. And then she saw him: the slender, dark haired man standing by himself in the corner of the room. He was regarding the people in front of him blankly - almost like they weren’t even there - while taking small sips from the glass of liquor in his hand. 

“Hi,” she said as she approached him. “I’m sorry to bother you but do you happen to know where the bathroom is?”

Swallowing the whiskey in his mouth, the man nodded and pointed towards the front door. 

“There’s one by the stairs there,” he said. “And if that’s occupied head up the stairs and there’s another second door on the left.” 

“Upstairs?” She questioned.

He nodded. 

Yeah, it’s fine.”

“Thank you.”

She quickly made her way to the bathroom on the first floor and sighed in relief when she found it empty. When she was done she washed her hands and stared at the fine hand towels hanging on the wall, unsure of they were meant to be used. She ran her hands through her hair to dry them and headed back out. 

The man who’d given her the directions was gone from the living room and she suddenly felt very alone and ready to go home. 

She moved around the rooms slowly, looking for her host and turning her head towards an open door when she heard his recognizable voice. Cecelia slowly walked towards the open door and found Hannibal standing in his home office with the slender, dark haired man from before. He was leaning back against the desk with a nearly empty glass of liquor between his knees, looking up to his side where Hannibal stood.

There was a striking juxtaposition in their interaction: Hannibal in his fine dark plaid three-piece suit and red pocket square, his hair slicked back as it had been ever other time Cecelia had seen him. And then there was this other man in casual work slacks and jacket over a plaid button up, looking very much like the men she taught with at the University. His hair was curly and un-styled, his jaw and upper lip outlined with thin, dark facial hair. 

They seemed to be very much at odds with one another superficially but their body language conveyed something much different. She couldn’t make out what Hannibal was saying over the sounds of the party but whatever it was it made the dark haired man smile and push at Hannibal’s arm lightly. 

Cecelia rapped her knuckles lightly on the door and both men looked up.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” she said to both of them. “But I’ve got an early morning so I’m going to call it an evening. I wanted to thank you for having me over.” 

Hannibal smiled and straightened his posture. 

“It was wonderful having you, Cecelia,” he said. “Please, let me show you out.” 

He look a step towards her and she raised her hands in feeble protest. 

“No, please, you’ve done enough. I can see myself out. Thank you again and it was nice meeting you as well, Mr. . .”

“Graham,” the dark haired man said. “Will Graham.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Graham. Goodnight.” 

***

“Cee, are you there?’

She pulled the phone away from her ear as she stepped closer to her window, her living room flooded with blue and red flashing lights. 

“Yeah, hey, something’s going on,” she said. “There’s cops everywhere.” 

“What? What’s happening?” 

There were at least four wailing police cars at Hannibal’s house as well as an ambulance. Officers in dark clothes were piling out and making their way up to the front door. There were shouts - warnings - and then they forced themselves in. 

“I don’t know,” she answered more loudly than she intended to. “God, it looks serious.”

There was a loud bang at her door.   
  
“Someone’s knocking.”

She heard Caleb talking through the phone but couldn’t make out the words as she pulled it away from her ear and headed to the front door. Opening it, she found a wide shouldered man on the other side.

“Ms. Cecelia Brooks?”

“Cee, what’s going on?” came a faint voice from the phone. 

“Yeah, that’s me.” 

“My name is Jack Crawford,” he said as he held up a badge. “I’m with the FBI. I need to ask you some questions about your neighbor Hannibal Lecter.”

Her mouth fell open.

“Oh my God,” she gasped. “Is he okay?”

The face of the man in front of her turned to stone. 

“We’re not sure where he is,” he responded briskly, clearly not saying everything he knew. “Please, we’ll need to ask you some questions about him as well as anything you may know about his relationship with Will Graham.”


	2. Alex. Quantico, Virginia.

“You just can’t help yourself can you?”

Alex adjusted the strap of the bag at his shoulder as he reached forward and took the cup from her extended hand. 

“I know, I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. The traffic was insane.”

“Mmm hmm,” she hummed. “The _traffic_. Cat got out. Second coming of Christ - whatever. We need to go now or we’re gonna be late.”

Alex turned and followed her away from the cafe and towards the lecture hall. 

“Don’t worry, I’d never keep you from him,” he said. 

Sarah shot him a look as she sped up their pace, arriving at the open doors mere minutes before they were due to close. They walked up into one of the elevated back rows and took their seats, settling with their coffee and pulling out their laptops. 

“Hey, did you start that report for Miller yet?” Alex asked. 

Rolling her eyes, Sarah grunted softly. 

“Ugh, no,” she said. “I’ve got all my research gathered I just need to sit down and get it going.” 

Alex took a sip of his coffee. 

“Same. Did you maybe wanna start on Saturday? I figure we could get some breakfast and then-“

Alex stopped speaking as he heard the doors to the lecture hall close, the room growing dark as the light from the outside hall was shut out. They watched him walk to the front of the class, eyes forward and unwavering as he put his bag down and picked up the remote to the projector.

“Good afternoon,” he said. 

There was a scattered return of greetings from around the room as Will Graham began his presentation. 

***

“Everyone has thought about killing someone one way or another,” he said. “be it your own hands or the hand of God. Now think about killing Mrs. Marlow.”

Alex listened to his voice as his eyes lingered on the slide of the woman laying in a pool of her own blood behind Graham. 

“Why did she deserve this?,” he continued. “Tell me your design. Tell me who you are.”

He closed the lid of his laptop as he spoke, eager to make good his escape. Alex and Sarah exchanged quick glances and gathered their belongings as well, standing with their empty coffee cups in their hands. As they walked down the stairs and headed towards the door, Alex’s gaze was drawn to the left. Looking, but not lingering, he fixed his eyes back straight ahead and followed Sarah outside.

“Did you see that?”

“Hmm? What?’

“That was Jack Crawford.”

“What?” Sarah repeated. “Just now?”

“Yeah, he walked right by us,” Alex said. “Did you seriously not see him?”

She shook her head.

“Jesus, Sarah, not terribly observant for an FBI trainee are you?” He said playfully. 

She shot him a look that begged for his indulgence. 

“It’s not my fault.” 

Alex laughed as they continued walking. 

“You need to get your crush under control or it’s going to be a long semester for you,” he said with a smile. “And me.” 

“Hey, this shit is hard enough,” Sarah defended with a grin. “Allow me the simple pleasures of ogling a cute instructor. And anyway, it’s harmless; it's not like anything would ever actually happen. ” 

“Yeah?” Alex continued. “What? You prefer that your boyfriends make eye contact with you?”

He lowered his voice as he spoke, as if the walls had ears.

Sarah smiled sadly. 

“I feel bad for the guy sometimes,” she admitted. “He always seems so _connected_ with everything. It’s like he can’t let go.”

“Yeah, no, I know what you mean,” Alex said. “You know what they say right?”

Sarah tossed her empty coffee cup in a trashcan, Alex doing the same. 

“ _They_ ,” she repeated. “Yeah, I mean, I’ve heard he’s got an empathy disorder, that he’s autistic, antisocial, crazy, weird, whatever. That doesn’t make him a bad man.” 

Alex pulled at the strap of his bag. 

No,” he agreed. “You’re right.”

**

He couldn’t see anything, there was nothing but black all around him. But slowly the encompassing darkness pulled back and became thinner, bursts of muffled sound penetrated the void.

“Alex.”

He was shaking. No, he was being shaken.

Alex opened his eyes with a small gasp, his head raising from where it had been resting on his arms. Looking up, he took in the familiar sight of his friend.

“Hey,” he laughed. “Come on, man. I think that’s it for tonight.” 

Licking his lips, Alex looked at the piles of highlighted and hand annotated papers in front of him. The screen on his laptop had long since gone dark. 

“How long have you been here?”

Reaching forward, Alex pushed a button on the side of his phone to illuminate the screen with the time. And several missed notifications. 

“Since 3,” he yawned. “Sorry I missed your texts.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Jason said. “I was gonna meet up with Sarah and the others for some dinner; you wanna come?”

Casting another look at the work in front of him, Alex rolled his shoulders.

“Yeah,” he said. “That sounds great.” 

Jason waited while Alex gathered his research and electronics and came to his feet. He followed his friend out of the library and towards the parking garage. As they walked by the doors of the main building, Alex caught the familiar shape of Mr. Graham out of the corner of his eye. He was standing away from the building, bag resting on the ground by his leg, with his feet close to the curb. The area around them was bathed in light as the sleek car slowed its approach and came to a full stop in front of Will who raised his arm to get its attention. 

Alex could only make out the shape of a man behind the steering wheel, his face obscured by the headlights of the car as Will opened the passenger side door and climbed in. There was a brief pause before the car began to move again, rolling through the parking lot as it made it’s way back out to the main road. 

“Did you hear what I said?’

Alex turned and looked at Jason who was staring at him with anticipation. 

“Huh?’

Jason rolled his eyes. 

“Sushi,” he said. “How does sushi sound?”

Alex pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes.

“Great,” he answered. “That sounds great.”

**

A few months later as the semester was coming to a close, Alex and Sarah were packing up their belongings following the end of class. 

“Shit,” Sarah whispered. 

“What?’

She fell to her knees in the dimly lit room. 

“I dropped my phone.” 

Joining her on the floor, Alex felt around blindly with his hands, fingers probing on the thin carpet before he felt the familiar smooth glass of the device and came to his feet with the phone in his hands. 

“Got it.”

Smiling, Sarah rose as well and took it from him as the lights in the room came on. Will was standing near the podium in the front of the class looking up at them. 

“Everything okay?’

Sarah tugged at the bottom of her shirt to straighten it. 

“Yeah,” she said. “Just dropped my phone. I got it.”

Will nodded as they made their way down, passing the empty seating. 

“Mr. Graham, can I ask you a question?”

_Oh my God_ , Alex thought. 

Will looked at her, his mouth twitching slightly as he waited. Over the last couple of months, he’d seemed more relaxed with himself, more accepting of students approaching him before and after class. He still clearly wasn’t comfortable, but Alex found that it was less painful to watch him try and interact with people from a distance. 

“I was wondering if perhaps I could talk to you about my last report?”

Will nodded his head slightly. 

“Your assessment of the perpetrator in the Blake murders?”

Sarah nodded and pulled at her hands; Adam was positive he could see her flush. 

“I think the notes I left on your report were comprehensive,” Will began. “But if you have specifics send me an e-mail and we’ll see if we can arrange some time in the coming weeks.” 

She smiled softly and thanked him as they made their way out of the hall. Just as they passed through the open double doors, Alex tilted his body to the right to avoid bumping into the shoulder of the man walking in.

“Oh, sorry,” he rushed as he looked quickly into the man’s eyes.

The stranger’s face was stoic and composed. 

“No bother.” 

He watched the finely dressed man walk into the lecture hall with what looked like an insulated food storage bag held in one hand, a thermos in the other. He heard the man greet Will softly before they moved too far out of range to hear anything else.

“Was . . . was that Dr. Lecter?” Sarah asked as they continued to walk. 

Alex looked at her.

“Who?”

“Dr. Lecter,” she repeated.“Remember, he did a guest lecture with Dr. Bloom last year on a paper he wrote on the evolution of social exclusion. Come on, you remember.”

“I really don’t.”

“Alex,” she said as she placed a hand on his arm to stop him in his tracks. “How are you going to call me unobservant but you don’t remember a lecture given by a man named _Hannibal_ Lecter. He was wearing this crazy red and grey suit- you really don’t remember?”

“I mean . .. maybe? I definitely remember sitting in on Dr. Bloom’s lecture.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and opened her mouth.

“No, no,” he continued. “I’m aware she filled in for Graham like . . . months ago. I remember taking another class with her last year.” 

“Well, it doesn’t really matter I suppose,” Sarah said. “I wonder what he wants with Graham.”

They both turned and looked towards the sound of the lecture hall doors closing.

**

“Oh my god, where have you been?”

Alex walked towards his friends, passing groups of students chatting in excited whispers. 

“What’s going on?” he asked as he reached them. 

Jason was holding a tablet and standing next to Sarah who was looking away, her eyebrows narrowed in confusion. 

“Alex, dude,” Jason said. “Have you seriously not heard?”

He scanned the hall; he could practically see the air vibrating. 

“Jack fucking Crawford led a raid on Hannibal Lecter’s house last night.”  
  
“What?” He asked in a raised voice.

Jason nodded deliberately. 

“You heard me,” he said. “A _raid_.”

“Why? I mean, for what?”

Jason looked at Sarah who’s eyes were still cast downwards. 

“I haven’t heard anything official but, man, they’re saying it’s about the Ripper murders.” 

“The Ripper Murders? Like, what, they want to question him?”  


“That’s what I’m hearing. I mean, I don’t know for sure that’s _why_ but I _do know_ that he for sure had his front door kicked in last night.” 

Alex’s mind flashed back to running into Lecter in the hallway months ago.

“And that’s not all,” Jason continued. “You know how Graham hasn’t been around in weeks?”

“Yeah?”

“I hear they think he’s with Lecter.”

Alex stared at him, not blinking.

“ _With_ him? Like that he abducted him?”

Jason shook his head.

Alex turned back to Sarah who was looking at him now with wet eyes. 

“I don’t know if I know what you mean.”

Jason pulled the tablet up to unlock it, shaking his head again in disbelief as he handed it over. Taking it from him, Alex immediately saw two pictures: one of Graham and one of Lecter, their faces were under the headline “Chesapeake Ripper(s)?: Two Men Wanted For Questioning In Multiple Murders”.

“I’m sorry, did I miss the memo when we all decided to take Freddie Lounds seriously?”

“The woman is a pest, no doubt,” Jason said. “She’s also been pretty dead on with the Ripper case. I’m saying . .. it’s not that crazy. Think about it: Lecter is a former surgeon, he absolutely has the medical knowledge. He’s also a renowned psychiatrist, he gets how the mind works, how to hide, cover up, and disappear.”

Lowering the tablet from his face, Alex sighed. 

“But, I mean, Graham?” He said. “ _Will Graham_?”

“I know,” Jason said. “But the only reason why Graham is teaching here is because he wasn’t found fit to be a full agent. He slips inside the minds of killers so fucking easily . . . maybe it’s not because of an empathy disorder; maybe it’s because he _is_ one.”

Again, Alex thought of that night he ran into Lecter in the hall, of him going into Will’s classroom and the sound of the closing door. He thought of the strange intimacy in that considering that Graham struggled to maintain something as simple as eye contact.

“Sarah?” He said gently as he looked at his friend. 

She shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s crazy,” she whispered. “But it does makes sense.”

There was genuine pain as she spoke. 

“Hey!”

A booming voice came from down the hall. All other sound went quiet as everyone turned towards Agent Berns who stood with his arms out in front of him in agitation. 

“You all have places to be. Get going. Now!”

The three of them slowly walked towards their next class, their voices returning in whispers as they did. 


	3. Jakob. Berlin, Germany.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one weekend? Madness

He was officially drunk. 

The muscles in his face felt warm and relaxed in spite of the biting cold. Pulling his glass to his lips, Jakob took another sip of his champagne as slow, fat snowflakes began to fall. The smoke from the fireworks was starting to clear, though small colorful detonations were still happening at random intervals all around him. He looked up as a particularly loud whistle caught his attention, the small rocket exploding in a burst of red and white above him.

The large, open air celebration seemed to be finding its pace now that the clock struck midnight. All around him were crowds of people in varying states of inebriation, laughing, embracing, and kissing in commemoration of the new year.

It made him feel optimistic. And amorous.

And then as Jakob made his way over to the bar to refill his champagne, he was stopped mid stride by the sight of him. His sleek frame was buried under a black turtleneck and jacket, dark slacks and boots. His face was covered in facial hair but it didn’t obscure the fine, precise lines of his jaw. There was a soft shine to the dusky, slightly curly hair on his head.

He was gorgeous and, more importantly, he was alone - as though the universe had heard his inner plea for companionship, however fleeting.

Jakob cleared his throat and changed his trajectory, approaching the stranger with a characteristic confidence. 

“You know,” he began as the stranger tilted his head up at the sound of his voice. “Normally I would spend about 10 minutes trying to think of a bad pickup line - but it’s a new year and you are . . . too stunning.” 

The man’s eyebrows arched high, his eyes were bright blue and offset by the dark hair on his head and face. 

“My name is Jakob,” he continued. “What’s yours?”

The man smiled and looked away.

“Gabriel.”

Jakob grinned. 

“Ah, an angel on earth after all.”

Gabriel laughed, running his tongue over his teeth as he looked back up. 

“There it is.”

“There it is,” Jakob smiled. “So how has the new year been treating you?”

“The last-”

He glanced at his watch; he had beautiful long fingers. 

“Ten minutes or so have been rather interesting.” 

“Ten minutes?” Jakob questioned. “But I’ve only just now come into your life. What else of note could have possibly happened to you?”

Gabriel looked at him, his lips upturned slightly and his eyes soft with contemplation. 

“Listen,” Jakob said as he lowered his voice, leaning in. “I never really understood the point of this song and dance, even though I do, admittedly, like to take part in it.”

He reached forward and let his fingers brush against Gabriel’s hip. When the other man didn’t pull away, his other hand came to rest on the side of his neck. 

“But like I said, it’s a new year, so I’ll cut to the chase,” he whispered. “I would very much like to take you home.”

Gabriel pulled away just slightly, enough that Jakob’s hand fell from his neck and back to his own side. But he stayed close and continued to allow the hand on his hip. 

“And what would you do with me there?”

Gabriel’s lips were glistening and pink, standing out amid his dark facial hair. 

“What ever you’d like,” he answered softly, leaning in closer. 

He tightened the press of his fingers at Gabriel’s hip while his other arm snaked around his waist loosely, palm pressed at the small of his back. 

“What would you like me to do to you?”

Gabriel sighed and laughed a little under his breath, placing a hand on Jakob’s chest and pushing playfully until the man lost his grip on him and stepped back a few paces.

“You’re quite sure of yourself,” Gabriel noted. 

“I am,” Jakob said as he straightened his shirt. “But not without reason. I’m good, baby - I’m _real_ good. And I can tell you are too.” 

There was something behind Gabriel’s eyes that twitched. 

“Can you?”

Jakob nodded.

“But hey,” he continued. “I’m not going to beg. If you’re not interested, I’ll move along.”  


Gabriel’s eyes fixed briefly over Jakob’s shoulder before finding his gaze again. 

“I didn’t say that,” he teased. “I just need to resolve another matter.”

Jakob was startled by the sudden presence of a man at his side, holding two slim mugs in each of his hands. He took a few steps back as he handed one to Gabriel and kept the other for himself. 

“My apologies for interrupting,” he said, his eyes moving between the two of them. 

“No apology needed,” Gabriel said as he took the mug from him and wrapped both hands around it. “We were just talking.” 

Jakob cleared his throat and took another step back, his hands coming up - palms exposed - in surrender. 

“Hey,” he said. “We - I didn’t know he was here with anyone.” 

“A correct assumption,” the man said. “He is not. Unless you’ve been hiding something from the two of us.” 

Gabriel shook his head. 

“I, in fact, only just met this young man,” he continued. “We have yet to even be properly introduced.” 

Gabriel took a small sip of the spiced wine and swallowed it with a satisfied hum. 

“Gabriel,” he said, introducing himself. 

Jakob watched the other man grin.

“Gabriel,” he repeated. “I’m Anders.” 

Jakob studied him. He was older, by at least ten years. His grey hair was clean cut in the back but fell long in his face, jaw covered in light stubble. Predominant cheekbones and a wide, soft mouth. He was dressed similarly to Gabriel though Jakob could tell that the quality of what he wore was finer. When he spoke he was perfectly articulate, his voice laced with an accent Jakob couldn’t place. 

A wealthy foreigner. 

“Listen,” he said as both men turned to look at him. “I meant what I said before. Now, I know you’ve only just met the two of us-”

He shot Anders a quick glance. 

“And I don’t know you, sir, but I would think that this would be no contest.” 

Jakob took a small step forward as Gabriel looked up at him; he was taller than him - taller than both of them - by several inches. 

“You seemed amicable before,” he continued. “And I meant what I said about not begging, but I think that me walking away would be a huge mistake for the both of us. No offense, pal."

He looked back at Anders who was drinking from his mug without any emotion on his face.

“None taken,” he said. “Though I am curious to know why you think he would be better off spending this evening with you than with me.” 

Jakob laughed loudly then. Fine, if this man really wanted to go there, he’d take it there. 

“Come on,” he said. “I’m sure you’re a nice guy - and you’ve clearly got money - but you’re about a decade too late for someone like him.” 

Gabriel looked to Anders, his eyes moving up and and down his body before settling on his face.

“There are a great many things that improve and mature with age,” Anders responded. “Sexual prowess is merely one of them.” 

“Impotency is another.” 

Gabriel laughed, nearly spitting out the wine in his mouth. It encouraged Jakob further. 

“So why don’t you let me take care of him,” he said. “And you can try your luck with the older crowd inside.

Anders glanced at the covered seating beyond them where older partygoers had gathered. Jacob waited for him to duck his head in shame, embarrassment - anything. But he did not.

“I have an idea,” Gabriel chimed in, his face pink from laughter and warm wine. “Why don’t you both come back to mine and we’ll figure something out.” 

Jakob raised an eyebrow as he looked at him. 

“What?” He laughed. 

“You heard me,” he said with a newfound seriousness in his voice. “You’re so sure that you’d be better for me than him - prove it.”

His mouth slack, Jakob looked both of them over. He’d had had his fair share of odd sexual encounters, but never something quite like this. When he didn’t answer, Gabriel took a step forward - Anders’ eyes following him - and leaned in close. 

“Come on,” he encouraged. “New year, right?”

God help him, but this man was beautiful. 

“Do you have a car?’

“I do,” Jacob said, blood pumping to his cock as visions of this man naked under him rushed in. 

“I’ll give you the address,” Gabriel said. “And you?”

He turned his head to look at the older man.

“I can take a cab,” Anders grinned with a slight tilt of his head.

Gabriel stepped back and finished the last of wine.

“Wonderful.”

**

It was about a half an hour through roads that Jakob was completely unfamiliar with before he arrived at the small cabin in the middle of the woods. The driveway itself was probably close to a mile long and completely dark in the night, the dirt path in front of him was visible only by the headlights of his car. All around him, the forest kept its secrets.

Jakob had to laugh at the situation; surely his mother taught him better than this? 

He brought his car to a stop, turning off the lights and the engine before he climbed out of the driver’s side door. The lights were on but the curtains were drawn and Jakob saw no other sign of anyone being around. He walked up to the door and knocked twice. There were footsteps and then it opened, yellow light from inside bathing him as Gabriel smiled. 

“You made it.” 

“I did,” Jakob said as he walked in. “Does that make you happy?”

“It does,” came a soft reply. “Would you like something to drink?”

He was moving back into the house as he spoke, presumedly towards the kitchen. 

“Yeah, that would be great.”

He listened to glass clinking as he took a look around. The cabin was well furnished and surprisingly modern looking given its rustic location. Sleek leather couches and colorful but minimalist art on the wall, a dull fire flickering in the main room. Jakob turned at the sound of footsteps approaching and was surprised to see Gabriel and Anders exit together. 

He had no idea the other man had already arrived.

“Thought it may be best to stick with champagne,” Gabriel said as he handed him a flute filled with light golden liquid. 

Anders had a glass of wine in his hand, his eyes moving over Jakob as he walked towards the center of the room. 

“This is a nice place,” Jakob said. 

“Thank you,” Gabriel answered, nodding in agreement. “I don’t get to spend too much time here but I do love when I can.”

“You don’t live here?”

He shook his head. 

“I don’t live anywhere,” he said. “Always on the move.” 

Anders had walked to a bookcase against the wall, reaching out and pulling at the spine of a volume that caught his interest. 

“I, uh,” Jakob laughed. “I feel like this is awkward.” 

“Doesn’t need to be,” Gabriel said. 

Taking a long sip from his glass, Jakob shifted his weight on his feet. He turned his neck to look at Anders who had returned his attention to their conversation rather than the books. 

“So what did you have in mind?” Jakob asked, his heart beating faster in his chest.

Gabriel took a step towards him, his hands clasped behind his back. 

“A quick competition of sorts,” he said. “I want you - both of you - to kiss me.” 

Anders had moved to stand next to Jakob, the slightest of smiles playing on his mouth as he watched Gabriel speak. 

“Just a kiss,” he continued. “From that, I’ll make my assessment and one of you will leave.” 

“That’s it?” Jakob said. “A kiss?”

“That’s it.” 

He laughed and looked towards Anders to gauge his reaction. He found nothing. 

“If all you wanted was a kiss, we didn’t have to come all the way out here,” Jakob said. “I could have kissed you at the party and claimed you then.”

“But you _did_ come all the way out here,” Gabriel said. “So you should make the most of it.”

He started laughing then. The alcohol in his system and the heat of the fire at his back was making him feel so warm. He could see him kissing him, feeling his soft mouth against his own, his hands in his hair. He saw the older man kissing him too - kissing him together. His body pressed between the two of them. 

“This is crazy” he said with an exhale. “But yeah - fuck it. Okay.”

Gabriel smiled and extended his hand to them, his eyes not falling to either man. Jakob looked at Anders who looked back at him, unsure which of them Gabriel was beckoning. Ever confident, Jakob took a tiny step back and gestured at the man in front of them who was waiting. 

“Age before beauty,” Jakob said with a smirk.

Anders’ eyes were so warm, hidden behind strands of grey hair. He generally didn’t go for older men but the more he looked at him, the more he found himself hoping that this all ended with the three of them in a pile by the fire. 

He watched Anders stepped forward and take Gabriel’s outstretched hand, allowing himself to be pulled close until they were standing directly in front of each other. There were no reservations in their eye contact, no hesitation at all as the older man reached up and put a hand on the side of Gabriel’s head; his hand looked enormous - powerful - as his thumb grazed the younger man’s ear. They stared at each other for a long moment, lips slightly turned up, before Anders leaned down and nuzzled his nose along the side of his jaw. 

He moved up the side of his face slowly, like a predator trying to calm its prey before the incoming attack. Gabriel closed his eyes at the brush of lips against his skin - soft and fleeting. Anders held his head still as he continued, leaving featherlight kisses on his neck and jaw, as he paused at his ear. He whispered something to him then - impossible for Jakob to to hear - but it made Gabriel smirk and nod ever so slightly. 

Anders kissed the shell of his ear before he moved up and pressed their lips together softly. Gabriel opened under him immediately, his lips parting and pushing back but remaining unhurried. The contrast of their dark and light hair was mesmerizing as their mouths moved against each other carefully. 

Jakob kept waiting for their pace to increase, for Anders to push harder against him, but it never came. Gabriel’s fingers wrapped around the wrist at his neck. They continued on in their careful exploration, lost to everything around them. There was a strange sense of deep intimacy in how they held on to each other. 

Jakob could feel his cock throbbing as he watched them and wondered, briefly, if he’d underestimated this older man. 

When they parted, it was with their eyes locked on each other. Gabriel pushed into the hand at the side of his face and it was pulled away.They stared at each other, seemingly to say so much without their lips moving, before Gabriel turned and extended his hand to Jakob.  Anders made no move to retreat as he approached, heart pounding. He took his hand and was pulled to him, the heat of the older man’s body near his back. Reaching forward, he put a hand on Gabriel’s hip and leaned in. 

Before he could kiss him he felt a strong hand come down on his shoulder, felt his body twisted and shoved. He was hurled backwards, his backside making an unceremonious connection with the floor and his head snapping back. 

Pulling air into his lungs, he looked up to find that Anders was approaching him quickly, flattening his back to the floor with a foot at the center of his chest. Instinctively he clawed at his leg as the older man’s knee bent, his body coming closer to him. 

“What the fuck?!”

His question ignored, his head was pulled back by a fistful of his hair. There was a sting in the side of his neck.

“What, hey,” he yelled. “What the fuck, what, no. . .”

The room was spinning, edges blurring. He lay flat on his back as Anders stood over him.

“Apologies,” the older man said to Gabriel who stood behind him. “I resisted as long as I could.” 

Jakob struggled to get to his feet, to roll over, to do anything, but his body refused to listen to him. 

“You should relax,” Anders said. “Allow that to take effect. It will make things much easier.” 

“Hannibal,” Gabriel called. 

Turning, the older man came to him, his hand coming back to the side of his face. He kissed him then, in much the same style as before but with an unleashed hunger. He pushed against him hard, his teeth bared and looking to bite. 

“Tell me your design,” Gabriel said as he pulled his mouth away, body staying close. 

“That depends, Will,” Hannibal said. “Did he touch you this evening? When I was away getting our drinks?”

“He did.” 

It was getting harder and harder for Jakob to keep his eyes open. 

“You know he did,” Will added. “ _I know you saw._ ”

Hannibal’s hands moved to his hip, to the small of his back, and returned to his neck - all the places Jakob had touched him. The tips of his fingers dug into his flesh but Will didn’t flinch. 

“This seems to be very much _your_ design,” Hannibal said.“What would you do with him?”

Will turned and looked down at Jakob who’s eyes were fluttering closed. Hannibal pressed a possessive kiss to his temple.

“Stewed black eyed peas,” he said. “Collard greens, onion, garlic, and meat hock.” 

Hannibal smiled into his hair.

“Good luck,” Will continued. “For the new year.” 

Jakob’s world turned to black. 


End file.
